Participants in 401(k) and 403(b) plans aren't getting the support they want from their employers when it comes to leveraging features that can help them reach their retirement goals.

According to Cogent Research, nearly half of plan participants report wanting access to contribution auto-increase—a feature that automatically raises the contribution percentage by a specified amount on an annual basis. Regardless of the size of their employer or the financial services firm managing their plan, interest levels remain high. Unfortunately, a mere 18 percent of Americans with retirement plans say they are taking advantage of such a feature.

Part of the problem lies with access to the feature – particularly at the smaller end of the retirement market. Only 13 percent of the smallest employers are offering the feature to their plan participants, a figure that pales in comparison to the 53 percent of employees of small business who say they want access to the feature.